Alas, the much anticipated, and in my opinion, long overdue “BikeThere” feature has been added to GoogleMaps, an official announcement is rumored to happen tomorrow at the opening of the US National Bike Summit in Washington D.C.

The BikeThere feature has gained many supporters, with one website leading the push, gathering over 50,000 signatures in an effort to convince Google to offer the service. A combination of high gas prices and an

The February numbers are available for the USARA National Rankings.

Presented By:

March 3, 2010

TEAM NAME/ POINTS
1. HoustonAdventureRacing.com/Hammer Nutrition 105.00
2. Trakkers 79.00

Professional and amateur adventure racing teams from around the world will converge on Nord-Pas de Calais, a picturesque region in the North of France for five days of competitive stage racing from June 23rd through 27th. Organized by adventure racing legend Karine Baillet, Le Grand Raid features the standard AR disciplines in accessible format with a reasonable entry fee. A considerable cash purse has attracted top international teams to commit ahead of time, and the racing is sure to be competitive.

World Record Holder Captain Will De Laszlo and Adventurer Oliver Dudley are re-launching in June of this year the

$20,000 Awarded to Climbing, Cycling, Skiing and Mountaineering Expeditions

The 19th annual Polartec® Challenge Grant recipients have been announced. A total of $20,000 will be awarded to four separate expeditions in 2010: a climbing attempt in Pakistan, a 10,000-kilometer bike ride along the Silk Route, a quest for endless skiing and the continuation of 13-year-old Jordan Romero’s quest for the Seven Summits.

Australia has won the hosting rights for the Adventure Racing World Championships in 2011 which will be held in the state of Tasmania.

Race Director Craig Bycroft said “Tasmania as a world renowned adventure destination and support from Events Tasmania were two of the key factors in us winning the Adventure Racing World Championships”. Geoff Hunt, ARWorld Series Director said “I’m sure the 2011 Adventure Racing World Championship will be a huge success and look forward to exploring the state of Tasmania.”

Having just turned 16 in October, Abby Sunderland set out from Marina del Rey on Saturday to become the youngest sailor to circle the globe solo.

Abby’s brother Zac set the record for the youngest to complete the feat at 17-years-old just last year before being dethroned by British teen, Mike Perham who was 2 months younger than Zac when he finished the voyage. Zac took 13 months for his voyage.

The Desert Winds Adventure Series has been providing quality adventure races for teams from all over the United States since 2007. This year, The Desert Winds will be producing its first expedition length race September 18th – 25th 2010 in the Mojave Desert just outside of Las Vegas, Nevada. This 310 mile (or 500km) race will consist of trekking, mountain biking, rappelling, desert navigation, paddling, and surprises throughout the incredible terrain.

Facing the Wind: Three Argentine kayakers are making their final push to Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world. Upon arrival they will have cycled (while towing their sea kayaks behind) 650 kilometers from the …

Xtremo6000 will make the list of qualifying events leading up to the Adventure Racing World Championship in Spain in October.

The race which will take place February 25-27, will be the first ARWS event to take place in Argentina. The race will take place in northwestern Argentina’s La Rioja province located in the Andes. Race director, Eduardo Caputo promises that “the countryside will be both spectacular and challenging.”

American Snowboarder and U.S. Olympic team hopeful, Kevin Pearce, was critically injured during a training accident on December 30. The 22-year-old Vermont native was injured on Thursday while preparing for this week’s Olympic Qualifying Events.

Pearce, who was wearing a helmet at the time, hit his head on the ramp while landing and was knocked unconscious. The injury is referred to as a severe traumatic brain injury. He remains in intensive care at the University of Utah hospital.

After a 3-year absence of such an event in the UK, the ‘adidas TERREX Adventure Race‘ will take place in August of 2010. Teams of 4 will compete in this 4-day non-stop expedition race throughout the Lake District (the North West of England). The dates for the event are August 27-30, 2010. Race registration is £1350 per team. The race will include the core AR disciplines as well as some ’surprises taking racers to those hidden gems’.

When i first read the tweet this morning from Steve Casmiro, I was in shock. According to the post on The Adventure Life, the magazine will cease operations immediately and the current issue (December/January) will be the last one to be published.

With the economy still at a historic low, we wanted to discuss ways to get into adventure sports while keeping your budget intact.

Of all the ‘adventure sports’, trail running would have to be the easiest on the wallet. During mild weather, one can just head out the door wearing just about anything. However, if you have ever lived or raced in the south during July or August, it doesn’t take long to figure out that a cotton t-shirt is not quality gear. I don’t remember the last time I bought a cotton t-shirt though they are forever accumulating in my closet from every event in which I compete or volunteer. Cool weather apparel involves a little more of an investment but the dividends will be worth it in the long run and those cotton sweatpants will be a distant memory.

How does 43 seconds of video + FaceBook=Patagonia Expedition Race?

Simple.

I posted 43 seconds of Val Chapa after Primal Quest Badlands talking about breaking his bike.At the end I had him spell his name for the video editor. I labeled it “Val Can Still Spell His Name”and posted it to Facebook.

We wanted to interview some of the sponsored teams heading to this year’s Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge (ADAC) next month. We caught up with Lisa de Speville and she shared with us a little about her team that she selected via an application process.

Sportsister: A new sports magazine for women recently popped up in the U.K. and features a great website with everything from training tips to news and gear reviews.

Here is an excerpt from their “Guide to Adventure Racing“:

Adventure racing is essentially a multi-sport race, involving a minimum of trail running and mountain biking and also usually flatwater canoeing or kayaking.

Monavie-Cannondale team worked their way up the volcanoes on Stage 3. Tinker Juarez did an outstanding climb towards the Irazú Volcano, he ascended like it was his last climb.

Jeremiah Bishop followed Juarez with a gap of close to 3 minutes along with Deiber Esquivel and Marc Trayter, both trying to break the trio apart and move upfront on the hunt for Tinker.

The Estoril Portugal XPD Race has already covered two thirds out of the 900 Kms track, and teams are having to make major strategic decisions. Title holders are having a hard time keeping up with the the leaders. Tonight’s paddle in Castelo do Bode dam may be decisive.

Casualties have not been significant, taking into account the 600Kms that teams have already covered, in a track that is traversing the centre of the country until Saturday. So far, only nine out of the 59 teams that came from 25 different countries to take on this adventure have withdrawn.

One of La Ruta’s strongest ascents was ridden today nearly one and a half kilometers after the start of the stage, a wall that took riders from 800 meters up to 1400 meters above sea level within 8 kilometers.

Top racers showed their world-class level making the first ascent seem like a ride in the park although several elite riders paid the price of a rapid pace and a grueling push to the top. Such was the case of Ben Sonntag when at a mere 100 meters from reaching the top of the mountain his chain sunk within the depths of his rear cassette.

A total distance of 108 kilometers were ridden today by 225 racers from 17 different countries in a terrain as defying as the untamed tropics can hide deep within its foliage.

An early lead out of the Carara National Park by three-time Vuelta a España winner Roberto Heras, one of the favorites for the race, was short-lived when apparently a beverage he drank the night before affected his stomach.

This was the 3rd day of the competition and the harshness of the mountains has already caused the first casualties in the Estoril Portugal XPD Race, forcing 7 teams – out of the 59 that started – to abandon the race. Title holders – New Zealand’s “Orion Health” – are still well placed in front, closely followed by the North-American “Nike/Beaver Creek”.